The Poppy Thread

Jon is entirely, infinately correct. It is not the job of the news to support causes. He is absolutely right to take a professional blind-indiscrimination. The news can be used by dictatorships, like the N.S.D.A.P., to control the population. Now it is especially important that the news remain entirely impartial, since the line between common-sense*, and bias is blurred and arbitary, broadcasters should remain at total unbias. Also since if a nation were being controlled, we’d be decieved into thinking the cause was common-sense*, and moving the line. I’d agree with him—the job of a news reporter is to not wear a poppy.

The news should not support any causes. C4 take a personal choice approach, I'm guessing the BBC take a mandatory approach. I think there should be a no-approach. Sure, on other programmes, personal/publisher's choice, but the news is a different animal.

Jon's point is that his beliefs are irrelavent to the broadcast, and should not be expressed.

I agree that the informer should not side with entities. I'm not saying they'd be a need to, but say they needed to do an article that could lead to a negatively interpretation of the Legion, they'd be saying, "I support the RBL, enough to give money to it, but they have done something fraudulent.". I don't think it is good enough to automatically assume an entity doesn't need regulation.

*I say “common-sense” to mean a cause/belief which has no obvious opposition†, and concieved as correct, non-debatable, and obvious.

†By mentioning a ‘common-sense cause’, I’m not saying the R.B.L. is one of those, but I’m not saying it isn’t, I personally am not sure.

More Poppy dictatorship on the X Factor: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds39334.html


It's ridiculous. Nothing against the British Legion, but personally I consider Comic Relief to be a more important cause, but I'd never expect people to read the news wearing red noses!

Actually . . .,

when we've got the shadow cabinet telling youth icons what to think, the young people are sleep walking into a dictatorship.

If the shadow cabinet don't honour young people's (the future's) icons, or remember what was done for the icon's freedom, then there is little wonder why the House of Lords (1 or the other?) was replaced with cronies, or there are I.D. cards, or that there was even debate about 90-day-detention.

Is this the same person ^ who said that broadcasters should edit out a small segment of footage from a cartoon, depicting a cat smoking? Sounds pretty dictatorial to me

Whilst I agree that people should be free to decide whether they wear a poppy or not, we should bear in mind that the poppy does more than just supports the British legion.

It is also a mark of respect to all those who gave sacrifices to enable us to enjoy the freedoms we have today, including having debates like that. Most people wear poppies as a commemoration of this, which sets it apart from other charity lapels.

As far as I'm aware, there are no government diktats stipualting we should all wear poppies. It is up to individuals. I feel anyone who thinks there is a "poppy-fascism" is being deeply paranoid, or has a chip on his/hers shoulder. This is the reason Jon Snow has been attacked, because of the petulant way he has answered his critics I think.

As far as I am concerned, whether people wear poppies is entirely up to them. Most people wear poppies at this time of year, becuase they choose to do so, because they feel it is the best way of commemorating people who have fought for our country.